New Zealand saw its highest net gain in migrants a decade in the year ending March, led by arrivals from China, the New Zealand government statistics agency announced.
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New Zealand had 3,800 more migrants arriving than departing last month, the second-highest gain on record after 4,700 recorded in February 2003, when a large number of overseas students arrived to study at New Zealand universities, said a statement from Statistics New Zealand.
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The increasing trend since September 2012 had been mainly due to fewer New Zealand citizens leaving for Australia, as well as more non-New Zealand citizens arriving, said the statement.
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In the March 2014 year, migrant arrivals were up 14 percent to 98,000 and departures were down 21 percent to 66,100, resulting in a net gain of 31,900 migrants, the highest gain since 33,300 was recorded in the January 2004 year.
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The highest net gain ever recorded was 42,500 in the May 2003 year.
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In the March year, New Zealand had a net loss of 12,900 migrants to Australia, well down from 35,500 a year earlier, while Chinese immigrants led the net gains with 6,200, followed by India at 6,100 and the United Kingdom at 5,800.